OPINION: #NeverAgain and #BLM should team up

Charlie Needles

Photo by Alexandra Torres-Perez.

The Black Lives Matter and The March for Our Lives movements could gain a lot of social growth puns by teaming up.

The two different movements both protest the disregard for the safety of human lives. The four year old #BlackLivesMatter movement and the new #NeverAgain, also known as the March for Our Lives movement, have similar messages that plea for local government and federal government to make changes to ensure safety for their lives.

Black Lives Matter pleads a re-evaluation of the value of African Americans lives in our nation. It began in a cry against unfair over-policing of African Americans and numerous incidents of African American males being shot before questioning, in the process of arrest, or due to an unnecessary amount of force during the suspect’s handling.

Their talking points remain the same. They urge the public to change the way they see African Americans and the way the nation’s police force handles confrontations.

March for Our Lives is a recent student-led movement that presses for gun reform due to the massive amount of lives lost to school gun violence.

These two movements do not have opposing messages. Some individual members of the movements have been having public outbursts against each other on social media. They disagree about the amount of trust that should be placed in authority versus their own right to protect themselves, but this doesn’t reflect the overall vision of either mission.

Black Lives Matter should team up with the March for Our Lives movements. They would reach a new younger demographic, gather supporters who have similar values, and a louder voice due to the March For Our Lives rapid growth.

March for Our Lives can gain these same benefits from the partnership too. They would find support in the connections and success that Black Lives Matter has already made. They would find support for their values and a welcoming community in their existing movement.

Black Lives Matter still has a lot of work to do in our nation. We see this each time an African American gets shot without cause. This is a sign that police still have a bias built in them that disproportionately suspects African American men of violent behavior.

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